Moments
by ohhthatgirl
Summary: "Why do you love me, Sakura?" In twelve moments, that question could be answered. Twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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><p><strong>Moments: Part I<strong>

"Why do you love me, Sakura?"

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><p><em>i. They were five… <em>

_ when she first saw him._

She had gone into town with her mother because she was becoming a Big Girl, and Big Girls got to run errands. The girl, Sakura, held her mother's hand as they wandered the market place and examined vendors' carts.

They were picking out fresh apples, her favorite fruit, when one fell on the ground. After picking it up, she stood and saw _him_.

He could have been just another kid, but what caught her attention was how he looked _just_ like the prince from her storybook.

He was probably close to her age, but already, it was obvious he was a Big Boy. He wasn't even holding his mother's hand when they crossed the street! Instead, he carried a bag full of groceries all by himself.

It was that exact moment that she decided that, even though she didn't know his name, he would be her Prince Charming.

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><p><em>ii. They were seven…<em>

_when they began at the Academy._

Sakura had not forgotten about the marketplace boy. But in the two years since, she had become distracted with other important things.

Like how to cook a nice dinner. And how to wear her hair to hide her giant forehead. And pick out clothes that matched. And tie fancy ribbons onto her dolls.

But all of that stuff seemed less important when she stepped onto Academy grounds and saw _him_ again. Her face became warm and she felt butterflies come to life in her stomach. She sat in the row in front of him and hoped he noticed her.

The teacher read the attendance list. She finally found out his name – _Uchiha Sasuke_.

It was that moment she decided Uchiha Sakura had a nice ring to it.

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><p><em>iii. They were eleven…<em>

_when they were assigned to teams. **(1)**_

The air inside the Academy was charged with excitement. Today was graduation day, which meant they were done with lessons and could finally put their knowledge to use. It was also the day they would find out which people they would be spending practically all their time with.

The girl glanced at her right, where he was sitting. Of all the students, he was the only one to remain silent despite the high-strung atmosphere.

"Sasuke-kun, who do you want to be in a team with?"

The boy's eyes did not move from their position on the chalkboard. "No one weak."

"Oh, I know!" The girl was thrilled that she had gotten a reply. Her mouth continued to move in hopes of keeping his attention. "It would be so annoying if the people you were with only held you back!"

He only nodded once in reply.

When Iruka-sensei finally called together all the teams, Sakura's heart could have exploded. Because _she_ was the one girl lucky enough to spend all her time with _that_ boy from now on.

It was that moment she pledged to study harder every night so that she would never have to appear weak in front of Sasuke-kun.

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><p><em>iv. They were twelve… <em>

_when their differences were highlighted._

They had been training as a team for months now. They had even successfully completed a few missions. The girl was happy. She liked her team.

Especially_ him_.

And after spending all that time together, she felt like she knew him pretty well. His favorite color was blue or black, but probably blue. He was a bit shy, so he didn't talk often. His favorite pastime was training. He couldn't stand Naruto. His physique was important, so he only ate healthy foods like tomatoes and fresh vegetables. And most importantly, he was secretly a nice person on the inside.

With all this knowledge, Sakura thought she had a firm grasp on who Uchiha Sasuke was. Until one day at training, she was too distracted by the dirt in her hair to notice the shower of kunai coming toward her.

When the boy shoved her out of the way, she was ecstatic. Because protecting her meant that he cared, right? Hearts shone in her eyes. But when he turned to look at her, his were only filled with anger.

"How can you still be so weak? You're holding the team back. It's _annoying_."

That was probably the longest statement the boy had ever made. His words cut like glass.

"But… I–"

"Maybe if you stopped paying attention to only yourself, you might have a shot at becoming a real shinobi." He turned his back.

It was that moment she realized she didn't really know Sasuke-kun at all.

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><p><em>v. They were thirteen… <em>

_when they took the Chunnin Exams._

The girl did not know how they were going to survive. The forest was crawling with dangers. Naruto was unconscious. She was so tired. And Sasuke-kun… Sasuke-kun was in unimaginable pain.

They needed time to rest. She needed time to think. And then the Sound Nin showed up. Even Lee hadn't been able to stop them.

She was exhausted, but she knew that, at any cost, she had to protect her teammates. It was her turn to be the strong one. It was time to prove that she belong with Naruto and Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei.

The girl couldn't help but cry when she cut off her hair though. Sasuke-kun was supposed to have liked long her. She had spent years growing it out in hopes that he would finally notice her. But as the pink strands fluttered onto the earth, the girl felt rejuvenated. Now, it was her turn to be in the lead.

But the enemy had been too much to handle. Her techniques were no match, and soon she only served as a punching bag. That was when the boy regained consciousness.

His chakra flared around him. Dark squiggles covered his skin. A positively evil aura hovered around him as he stalked closer to the Sound Nin.

This was not the Sasuke-kun she knew… As her arms wrapped around the boy's chest, she cried. The marks began to recede.

It was that moment she promised to do whatever possible in order to save Sasuke-kun from the darkness inside his own soul.

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><p><em>vi. They were still thirteen… <em>

_when he left the village._

Something had been weird about the boy since he was bitten. He was even more introverted. He only wanted to train or go on missions. His obsession with gaining power consumed his every thought.

The girl was scared for him. She was scared that he would do the unthinkable in order to get stronger. She was scared he would _leave_.

Her senses told her something was not right one night, and she did not hesitate to leave her bed. The boy did not stop walking when he noticed her standing in the path leading out of the village. It wasn't until he was a few steps ahead that he paused to listen to her speak.

"I love you with all of my heart, Sasuke-kun!" The confession hung in the stale air. The girl's heart pounded restlessly. She knew that his mind was already made up by the smirk on his face. Maybe if she had been someone more important he would have listened. But at best, she was only a _teammate_ to him.

He called her annoying one last time. His decision was made. He was leaving.

"Thank you." The phrase was nearly swept away by the wind, but the girl heard. Her eyes widened a fraction as questions raced through her mind. _Why? For what? What happens next?_

She felt a blunt strike to her neck, and then things went black.

It was that moment she knew Sasuke-kun would eventually come back. Because he was never one to leave questions unanswered.

**tbc**

**(1)**_According to Narutopedia, they were actually twelve, but whatever._

_Update will come within a week._

_Review!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Moments: Part II**

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><p><em>vii. They were sixteen… <em>

_when they saw each other again._

The girl had trained constantly during Naruto's three year absence. She was the student of the Hokage. She could smash boulders with a finger. She had perfect chakra control. She was named one of the most talented medic-nin in the Fire Nation.

All of that information disappeared when she saw _him_ standing on the ground above them.

He was still tragically beautiful. His dark hair framed his porcelain skin. His jaw was strong and angled just so. His body was sculpted and toned. But his eyes… His eyes were dead.

She did not have forever to examine him, though. A fight broke out, as had been predicted when they first took the mission.

Her heart tightened. How would the boy have changed so much? Memories could not piece together how Sasuke-kun evolved into _this_.

His head whipped towards her after the initial attack on Naruto. His face was cold, but his eyes… His eyes flashed for the briefest instance, and for a second, they showed sorrow.

It was that moment the girl knew that some part of the Sasuke-kun she once knew was still alive in that body.

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><p><em>viii. They were seventeen… <em>

_when she decided to clean his apartment._

The landlord had initially complained about wasted space, but could not argue with the Hokage's orders to leave the place alone. Still, no one dared enter the former residence of the boy since he had left. No one wanted to disturb any of the memories of him.

The girl decided to enter, though. She needed to know what the boy had seen before he left.

The apartment was bare, except for necessities. The bed sat near the doors to a balcony that overlooked the village. There was no sofa or seats to encourage lounging about. The kitchen was small, but housed just enough space to move around comfortably. All-in-all, the place was no-nonsense. Just like how the boy had always been.

Sakura ran her fingers along the smooth wood of the small dresser next to the bed. They brushed against cool metal. The girl, curious of the change in material, picked up the object, and felt her heart clench.

It was the portrait of Team 7.

She pulled the photo out of the simple black frame. It was surprisingly flexible, suggesting that it had previously been in a different location. Somewhere it could be looked at easily. Maybe a wallet.

They looked so young… so_ happy_.

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. The girl flipped the photograph over in attempts to clear her mind. But on the back, three words were written that made holding back tears impossible.

_Reasons to stay._

It was that moment the girl knew they had meant more to Sasuke-kun than just teammates.

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><p><em>ix. They were eighteen… <em>

_when he came back._

Naruto had been returning from a mission when he felt a familiar chakra signature. Grinning, he sprinted towards it at full speed.

He saw the boy and threw a kunai at him. Sasuke easily deflected it. He turned and smirked. "Trying to kill me before I get back, dobe?"

The blonde grinned again. "Nah, just the welcoming committee."

When they entered the gates of Konoha, there were no guards. Only a girl with pink hair.

She smiled when she saw the blonde. Her face practically broke in two when she noticed the boy beside him.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" She jogged toward the two. The girl hugged the blonde immediately, but stopped before touching the other. His eyes were dark, unreadable pools. She stepped back. "Welcome back, Sasuke-kun."

"Aa." As they walked to the Hokage Tower, their shoulders brushed occasionally. Sakura smiled.

It was that moment the girl realized that Sasuke-kun was just as glad to be with her as she was to be next to him.

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><p><em>x. They were nineteen… <em>

_when he was allowed out of his house._

In the months of confinement, Team 7 had lots of time to kill together. The bridges that had been burned were slowly rebuilt. Years of pent-up emotions flooded out. They smiled, cried, screamed, laughed, broke things, and fix them together. They were a _team_ again.

The girl learned a lot about the boy through their hours together.

His favorite color was red, not blue or black. He only spoke when there was something important to say. His favorite pastime was actually reading. He thought of Naruto as a brother. His diet consisted of tomatoes and fresh vegetables because he didn't know how to cook. And despite what people thought, he secretly felt guilty for all the times he hadn't been there for his team.

He was trying to change. For_ them_.

They went to the training grounds in the morning. It was time to show him how much they have improved since he left.

The spar only ended when the Hokage screamed that the three of them needed to stop destroying her village. The teens laughed, still panting from their activities.

The girl quietly worked on healing the worst of their injuries. When the warm green chakra stopped touching the dark-haired boy, he finally spoke.

"You've improved." The girl smiled, only nodding in response. Whether it was a compliment or merely and observation, it meant that the boy had taken time to observe her.

His eyes watched as the girl healed his best friend. They argued playfully, and a rare smile crossed the boy's lips.

"Hurry up or I won't treat you to ramen."

Sakura smiled as the blonde cheered and ran ahead of his friend. The other boy stood still, waiting for her to come too.

It was that moment the girl realized she had been right before; Sasuke-kun had always secretly been a nice person.

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><p><em>xii. They were twenty… <em>

_when they went on a mission._

It was only an escort job, but the young adults were still excited. It was the first time they went outside of the village as a team.

Their charge was obnoxious, however. His was in his early thirties, but behaved like a child. His clothes were meant to attract attention, and his many jewels signified great wealth. Not the ideal attire for travelling through bandit areas, but that was why he hired nin.

He was also fond of the pink-haired girl. His advances were sexual and constant through the four days of travel. All three nin were glad as they approached their destination. Their charge wanted to stop at a hot spring before reaching his home. The group could not complain about it when the man offered to pay for them as well.

When the girl entered the spring area, she couldn't help but shriek. It was deserted except for the charge who was sitting atop a rock, totally naked.

The dark-haired boy, ignoring the "Women only" sign, opened the door at the sound of the girl's scream. His eyes narrowed at the older man. He knocked him out in a swift movement, and dragged him to the door.

"Are you alright?"

The question was unusual coming from the boy, but the girl still smiled and nodded. His eyes swept her body for injuries before he quickly looked away.

"Call me if he tries anything again."

It was that moment the girl understood that Sasuke-kun would always be there to protect her.

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><p><em>xii. They were twenty-one… <em>

_when they first kissed._

In honor of all the hard work of the shinobi, the village called for a celebration. Lanterns hung from every surface, vendors lined the streets, and booths with games filled the corners. The festival had been nice.

The girl stepped away from the crowds. All the hustle was exciting, but she knew the boy wouldn't be near it for too long. She wandered the streets, her wooden sandals clacking lightly on the pavement. A lone figure sat on a bench not too far ahead.

Sakura smiled and quickly joined the boy. He looked up at the sound of her approach and nodded once in greeting. The two sat in silence. The girl noticed how they were on_ The_ Bench, but that this time, there was nothing threatening about the night.

"I owe you something."

The girl could tell her had put some thought into the words. She looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "I hurt you before. I hurt everyone, but especially you and Naruto. The dobe will always be the first to forgive me. But with you…" His fingers tentatively brushed the girl's hair behind her ear. "I had to think."

Sakura smiled. "And what happened?"

The no-longer boy leaned it. "I found a way to make it up."

Their lips finally pressed together in a kiss that everyone knew was coming, one which the girl had waited sixteen years to receive.

It was that moment the girl realized that Sasuke-kun might love her back.

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><p>She had been expecting the question for a while. Many others had asked, but it was only now that she answered.<p>

"For the same reason you breathe, Sasuke-kun. It keeps me alive through every moment."

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>_  
><em>

Thanks for reading! Please drop a review if you enjoyed :)

xo, Katie


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